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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.11

Who is speaking and story frame

दितेर्द्वावेव दायादौ दैत्यदानववन्दितौ ।

हिरण्यकशिपुर्नाम हिरण्याक्षश्च कीर्तितौ ॥ ११ ॥

diter dvāv eva dāyādau

daitya-dānava-vanditau

hiraṇyakaśipur nāma

hiraṇyākṣaś ca kīrtitau

Translation

First the two sons named Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa took birth from Diti’s womb. Both of them were very powerful and were worshiped by the Daityas and Dānavas.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Diti’s First Two Powerful Sons

  1. 1

    Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa were the first two sons born from Diti’s womb.

  2. 2

    Both sons were very powerful.

  3. 3

    Both were worshiped by the Daityas and Dānavas.

How it feels

Resentment and resolve → Constraint and consequence. Family conflict frames a test of intention.

Chapters 18–19 of Canto 6: Diti's vow and discipline. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 18: Diti Vows to Kill King Indra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Bhṛgu, the mind-born son of Brahmā, took his birth again from Carṣaṇī, the wife of Varuṇa, and the great sage Vālmīki appeared from Varuṇa’s semen. Agastya and Vasiṣṭha were two sons of Varuṇa and Mitra.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. diteḥof Diti
  2. dvautwo
  3. evacertainly
  4. dāyādausons
  5. daitya-dānavaby the Daityas and Dānavas
  6. vanditauworshiped
  7. hiraṇyakaśipuḥHiraṇyakaśipu
  8. nāmanamed
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “worshiped”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this verse state about the brothers’ power and those who worshiped them?

Practice

Write the two brothers’ names and one shared characteristic given in the verse.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayDiti’s First Two Powerful SonsThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 6.18.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.